Public Health
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Philanthropy Must Push Back Against Social Media Misinformation
Recent comments by Mark Zuckerberg reflect tech companies’ loosening grip on the problem of misinformation. Philanthropic funders committed to health, democracy and much more should be concerned.
Basic Data, Big Impact: Why Bloomberg’s Doubling Down on Tracking Global Births and Deaths
With additional backing from Gates, Bloomberg Philanthropies is pumping more money into its decade-long project to help low- and middle-income countries collect accurate birth and death data — and act on it.
“Truly a Crisis.” Backing Abortion Access and Support Two Years After Dobbs
The Brigid Alliance, a leading U.S. abortion support provider, has staunch backers in its camp, like the Bergstrom Foundation. But rising need dwarfs incoming resources, and philanthropy has yet to go all-in.
From Breadth to Depth: The Blank Family Foundation Tackles Mental Health
The Arthur M. Blank Foundation launched its mental health and wellbeing grantmaking initiative two years ago. We explore its wide-lens approach — and what it’s learned along the way.
What’s New in Intergenerational Funding? Checking in with CoGenerate’s Marc Freedman
Marc Freedman is a key leader in a growing movement to tap the strengths of people from different generations to benefit society. We checked in with him about where funders are at and what his organization’s supporting.
What’s New in Growing Old? Checking in with Grantmakers in Aging
Now up to 145 members, the funder network is operating in an increasingly vital and surprisingly dynamic space. We chatted with CEO Lindsay Goldman to learn more about what’s going on.
Pivotal Ventures Makes the Case for Why “Care Can’t Wait”
Melinda French Gates’ rapidly expanding philanthropy signaled its intention to continue strengthening U.S. infrastructure for care, “the work that makes all other work possible.”
A Look at How a Veterans-Focused Foundation Backs Mental Healthcare
Veterans’ mental health is a major throughline in the Bob Woodruff Foundation’s support for service members. As it funds direct services, the foundation also aims to improve the field’s overall quality of care.
A Philanthropy-Backed Competition Taps Winning Cohort to Promote Youth Mental Health
Young people’s digital wellbeing is the focus for Young Futures’ Lonely Hearts Club Funding Challenge, which just announced its 10 inaugural winners. Behind the challenge are funders like Melinda French Gates and Susan Crown.
How the de Beaumont Foundation Seeks to Forge Public-Private Partnerships for Health
Finding ways for the nonprofit health arena to team up with the private sector is a specialty of this public health-focused foundation. Here’s a look at how it goes about that, in spaces ranging from child care to pandemic response.
A Conversation with Regan Gruber Moffitt, Vice President at the St. David’s Foundation
The Austin-based health funder’s VP of community investments joined us to discuss her lifelong engagement with public policy, why philanthropy really does need to address the social determinants of health, and more.
Melinda French Gates Charts a Course for a “New Chapter.” Here Are Some Takeaways
As she departs from the Gates Foundation, Melinda French Gates is quickly ramping things up with a multifaceted, $1 billion commitment focused on women’s rights. What does this all tell us about how her giving might evolve?
MacKenzie Scott’s Open Call Awards Give Disability-Focused Nonprofits Breathing Space
Twenty-six gifts went out to nonprofits identifying disability as a focus area in Scott’s recently concluded open call. Leaders say the unrestricted awards give them opportunities to better embrace their core missions.
To Treat Rural Americans, a Health Funder Seeks to Bring Life-Saving Technology Outside the Hospital
With a series of new grants, the Helmsley Charitable Trust is bringing extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) on the road. It’s one of several ways the funder is aiming to tackle the rural healthcare access gap.
To Break Down Age Silos, the Eisner Foundation Seeks Intergenerational Innovators
There’s a lot of demand for intergenerational programming, but funding remains scarce. Here’s how the leading philanthropic funder in the space is using its Eisner Prize Fellowship to bring younger and older people together.
The Doris Duke Foundation Stands Up an Initiative to Transform the Child Welfare System
Aiming for big changes to a child welfare system that isn’t always child- or family-friendly, the foundation’s new OPT-In for Families initiative is backing prevention-oriented approaches at four sites across the country.
This Foundation Ended a Bold, 8-Year Experiment in Participatory Philanthropy. What Did it Learn?
The Colorado Trust embarked on an ambitious effort to empower community members, but ultimately closed the program in 2022. A series of reports points to impressive achievements — along with challenges and missteps.
A Love Letter to Philanthropy: In Solidarity, From a Friend Fighting for Abortion Access
Guest author Oriaku Njoku calls on philanthropy to step up its support for abortion funds, which are fielding a record number of calls as abortion seekers contend with an immensely hostile political climate.
How a Family Foundation Backs a Multifaceted Approach to Lifting Families Out of Poverty
For over a decade, the Crimson Lion/Lavine Family Foundation has backed LIFT, which works to combat generational poverty by providing funds, coaching and support — and its model is showing results.
Melinda French Gates Backs a Funding Challenge to Help Teens Navigate a Tech-Driven World
Pivotal Ventures has teamed up with the Susan Crown Exchange and The Goodness Web to support Young Futures, a new nonprofit hosting funding challenges focused on digital wellbeing for youth. The first is already in progress.
A Huge Gift to Cut Medical School Tuition Looks to Make a Dent in a Deep Systemic Problem
Crushing medical school debt has been contributing to a shortage of physicians and steering doctors away from needed but lower-paid specialties. A $1 billion gift will make tuition free at a New York med school.
“Going All In.” The California Endowment Will Shift All of its Assets Toward Impact Investing
After ramping up its impact investing for years, this major healthcare funder announced it will align its entire $4 billion endowment with its mission and values.
A Foundation-Backed Initiative Looks to Boost Public Health, One City at a Time
Where you live has major impacts on your health. Since 2016, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has backed a National League of Cities initiative helping mayors consider urban problems through a health and wellness lens.
How This Accessible Chicago-Based Funder Targets Entrepreneurship, Health and Disabilities
Established in 1951, the Coleman Foundation focuses on entrepreneurship, health and rehabilitation, and intellectual and developmental disabilities. We take a closer look at this accessible place-based funder.
This Foundation Is Highlighting the Link Between Opioids and Maternal and Infant Health Risks
The Foundation for Opioid Response Efforts (FORE) is supporting work to remove barriers to recovery and healthcare for pregnant women and new mothers with substance use disorder.
Eight Questions for Ryan Easterly of WITH Foundation and the Disability & Philanthropy Forum
In this in-depth conversation, Ryan Easterly discusses his foundation’s work backing healthcare for adults with developmental disabilities, and his efforts to expand overall philanthropic support for disability rights.
A Health Foundation’s “More Equitable Approach” to Substance Use Disorder
The Elevance Health Foundation is tackling substance use by focusing in on overlooked populations. It’s one of a relatively small number of philanthropies addressing the escalating opioid crisis in any significant way.
MacKenzie Scott Backs Community Health Centers as Another Path to Advancing Equity
In 2023, MacKenzie Scott once again stood out in the philanthrosphere with hundreds of large, unrestricted gifts. This time, health equity was a theme with major support for small centers that serve many low-income patients.
Can an Online Dating App’s Giving Combat Social Isolation?
Loneliness has become a serious public health threat in the United States, but there’s scant funding for the topic, and the focus is usually on older Americans. A surprising corporate funder is taking on the cause.
A Conversation with Susan Mims, President and CEO of the Dogwood Health Trust
The trust takes an intentionally systems-based, social-determinants-focused approach to improving health. We get Mims’ take on state of public health, challenges in the field and more.
